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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595242">The woods will answer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saki_Yamanaka/pseuds/Saki_Yamanaka'>Saki_Yamanaka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fae &amp; Fairies, Fairy Eren Yeager, Fairy Isabel, Fantasy, Forest spirit Levi, Forests, Harpies, Harpy Furlan, Huldra Carven, M/M, Mythology - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prince Eren Yeager, Shapeshifting, Skvaders &amp; Wolpetingers, Slow Burn, Vampire Hange, all the creatures!, eren shapeshifts in this one, forest god au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:29:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22595242</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saki_Yamanaka/pseuds/Saki_Yamanaka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>They all knew the forest was a place not to play in, not to temper with and to never interfere.<br/>Terrible things lived in the forest, beast that stood taller than a tree, fiends that feasted on their preys blood, monsters lurking in the shadows of the branches, waiting for the next lost soul to snatch and devour. And all of them under the protection of the Spirit of the Woods, the Lord of the Forest, Master of the Wild. The Spirit had many names and many tales ranked around him like old vines around a tree trunk. Some of them told of a kind and loving nature, giving and protecting life, others shared the cruel and ugly side of the Spirit, how he was unforgiving and vile, a being of malice and spite, taking life however he saw fit.<br/>One young prince takes it upon himself to slay the spirit to bring peace to his kingdom. His plan, however, does not goes as expected as the forest spirit decides to teach him about the forest</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi/Eren Yeager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A young man walked in the forest</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>They all knew the forest was a place not to play in, not to temper with and to never interfere.</em><br/>
<em>Terrible things lived in the forest, beast that stood taller than a tree, fiends that feasted on their preys blood, monsters lurking in the shadows of the branches, waiting for the next lost soul to snatch and devour. And all of them under the protection of the Spirit of the Woods, the Lord of the Forest, Master of the Wild. The Spirit had many names and many tales ranked around him like old vines around a tree trunk. Some of them told of a kind and loving nature, giving and protecting life, others shared the cruel and ugly side of the Spirit, how he was unforgiving and vile, a being of malice and spite, taking life however he saw fit.</em><br/>
<em>Some thought of the Spirit as kind and giving, some even said it was a god, others feared and despised him as an evil demon who was sent as a punishment for abandoning the old ways.</em><br/>
<em>But if you were to ask the people about the Forest it resided in they would just look at you blank and clueless and point to the horizon. “There”, they would say, “lies his land.” Some send the eyes to the mountains, others to the open see and some even into the depths of a long abandon island, dead from a plague from an ancient time.</em><br/>
<em>And while many feared the Spirit for it's power some held a burning hatred towards it. A feeling, searing deep and hot as the fires of the blacksmiths from Cynefin, the islands of the dragon. But no one seemed to hate the spirit of the forest with such burning hatred as the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Ferenys, the domain of Light and Knowledge.</em><br/>
<em>The Family ruling this kingdom claimed to be able to track their bloodline back to the first Guardians of the land, holy men and women who protected the very essence of magic. The Guardian of Light was claimed to be a direct ancestor of them and thus they should rule the land with firm and kind hands. The youngest prince, however, did no such thing. While he treated his subjects kind and was loyal to his land he couldn't be more hateful towards the woods and the Spirit of Nature who seemed to be nothing more than a cruel jester in his eyes, ruining the crops of his folk and claiming hunter after hunter with its deadly claws for years now. This had to stop and if the Spirit was not willing to put an end to his deadly shenanigans then the youngest prince would, he had sworn on his blood!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Many had warned him, that he was but a foolish, hotheaded young boy. He could not kill a God of Nature as the spirit was nature itself. Killing it would mean killing the forest itself and only a fool would try this.</em><br/>
<em>But no matter how many people warned him, an equal amount of people spurred the young prince on, to take the Spirit down and free the kingdom from him. So he went, the young prince, and called to his land and family, his kingdom and his parents that he would make sure that the spirit never harmed anyone anymore. The brown haired prince took his sword, a family heirloom of generations, and marched on into the woods to slay the Spirit.</em>
</p><p>It was dark inside the forest, light only managed to sneak through the leaves from time to time. And eerily quiet, too, the brown haired boy registered. Beside the wind above the forest roof and the subtle, quiet buzzing of insects and birds the forest seemed to be awfully lacking noises. It was... to quiet. As if the trees and all wildlife itself hold it's breath, not wanting to be seen, to be heard. As if it was afraid. Eren huffed. The forest devil or spirit or whatever better was afraid because the young prince was going to slay it once and for all.</p><p>Carefully he placed one foot after another, listening if someone might approached him. He was on edge, all his nerves on fire. Stories about the spirit where told in his hometown Rie all the time and even more in Asraso, the place he lived, because it was closer to the forest of Sion then the capitol, which was closer to the sea in the south-west, so the spirit of the forest was not a major concern for them. Many of those stories named the terrific powers of the spirit. How it could change its own shape and also the shape of anything else by stretch, that it controlled the trees and flowers and plants as well as the wildlife which where its loyal servants, obedient and swift to spring to the spirits command. They told stories about how mischievous and clever the spirit was, how cruel it could be and also how it never actually cared for the people. It only cared for its forest and its inhabitants, the monsters which were considered its children by many. A lot of the tales told how the monsters came to be and the spirit of nature always had a hand in those. Some tales even said that the spirit was a Guardien, watching over the Sigil of Life, the holy spring of all magic linked to life and bloom and nature. Eren didn't believe this was true, the Sigil of Life was lost hundreds of years ago like all the other ones. All the spirit protected were the bloodthirsty monsters in the forest on which Erens brother dind't even spend a single thought on.</p><p>One of the many reasons Eren kinda loathed his older half-brother. He knew that Zeke would take the throne of their father, inheriting the title of the king of Ferenys and by stretch the king of light. But his brother didn't bet an eye to the threat the spirit was for their people and their land, only concerned about the threats of the sea and the other countries, having a blind eye for Erens concerns about the forest. All he cared about were the throne and the land near the sea.</p><p>Eren shook his head, carefully wandering deeper into the forest. He would prove his brother wrong, he would bring him the remains of the spirit, a proof that this thing was dangerous and worth the concern he, Eren, spend on it. The brunet smirked when he imagined his brothers and fathers face when he dropped the corpse of the spirit at their feet, a monstrous being, evil to it's mark with giant fangs and sharp claws, a tail that could crush a mans skull and fur as thick as a wooden branch, bloody and lifeless, slain by him, Eren, the second son. A shudder run down his spine as he allowed himself to think about what his father would say, how speechless his brother would be, red with shame and embarrassment to not have taken his brother serious. His fathers praises for being so brave and smart to slay this fiend and bring peace. Eren didn't want the throne or the crown, he was happy with his status as the prince and ruler or overseer of Asraso, whatever it was, he just wanted the respect he thought his brother didn't gave him.</p><p>A branch broke near Eren and he swung his head in the direction, looking with frantic eyes for the source of the noise. He was deep inside the forest still no noise or fiend had made itself noticeable until this point. When his green eyes landed on the source he wanted to huff in frustration. A man in an old brown cloak stumbled through the forest, a blindfold over his eyes, his right hand stretched out, searching for support and feeling the trees, his left one holding a wooden staff that he used to walk. The man was clearly blind and helpless, a lost wanderer in the woods. Still Eren did not trust him, he could be a monster in disguise or even the spirit itself so he waited. The blind man kept stumbling and falling, crying out when he hit the ground, the only noise that echoed between the old trees and was silenced by the vegetation around them after a while. The man got up again and again, lost and alone he managed to somehow get on the dirt road that Eren was on, a wildlife path, and breathed heavy. His arms and legs were littered with scratches and bruises from falling, his robe and cloak dirty and torn. The stranger looked miserable and Eren rolled his eyes in defeated, sheathing his sword and walking to the man. He looked tired, so very tired.<br/>
“Do you need help good man?” he asked, trying not to scare the man away. The stranger lifted his head in surprise, looking in Erens direction.<br/>
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice sounding horse as if he cried for hours before speaking again.<br/>
“I'm Eren, the son of King Grisha of Ferenys.” The blind man looked shocked if his raised eyebrows and slightly agape mouth were anything to go by.<br/>
“What does the son of the King seek here in this woods?” he asked while supporting his weight on his wooden carved staff.<br/>
“I'm searching for a monster.” he proudly proclaimed. The man frowned.<br/>
“A monster in <em>these</em> woods? Young man, there are no monsters in this forest. Only lost souls and kind hearts” he replied concerned, he seemed lost to the Prince, a little confused. How long did he wander these paths he thought? Maybe the forest made him insane?<br/>
“You're wrong, this forest is filled with monsters and I intend to slay the most dangerous one of them all, the Spirit of this woods.”<br/>
The blind man was startled, his mouth open as if he wanted to protest, his brows raised over the blindfold. “You're a fool! Nothing can kill the spirit, not magic, not steel, nor fangs or teeth. The spirit is a part of this forest and the forest is part of the spirit. Killing him is impossible as long as the forest exists and as long as the forest exists the spirit will protect it” he claimed, his voice did not shook or bow down to Eren, he was firm and did not budge, stood his ground.<br/>
“Even if that's the case”, Eren said, looking at the man with determination in his eyes, hard and stern, “I'll hunt the spirit down and bring justice to him for all the lifes he claimed, all the men and women he killed and tortured, all the people who never came back from venturing in the woods. I'll avenge them and set their souls free, I'll make sure they will be free from this vile spirits claim at least!” Erens voice echoed in the forest, through empty floors and between trees, the wind caring it far away until it was lost in the whisper of the sky. He looked at the man, stood his ground, not budging and even though he knew he couldn't see him he laid his hand over his heart, enforcing his words even more.</p><p>The man seemed to eye him up and down before he bowed his head. His hoarse voiced sounded distorted and strange as he spoke again. “So you truly <em>are</em> a fool, prince.” Erens neckhairs stood up, there was danger in the air. The brunet quickly drew his family heirloom and pointed it towards the man he now deemed dangerous.<br/>
“Who are you!?” he demanded to know, his voice was shaking slightly, out of fear or anger he could not say.<br/>
The man crooked his head, letting go of his staff, rendering him practically without any means of sight. The wooden staff made a blunt sound hitting the forest floor and as if it was a sign the noises came back. Leaves rustled, animals screamed, the wind blew through the trees and shuffling could be heard all around Eren. “I think you know who I am.” A voice around him said., it seemed to echo from all around him. The princes eyes were fixed on the blind wanderer who only crumbled to the ground like a fallen leave or a corpse. The body slumped to the ground and dissolved into leaves, vines, flowers and petals, pebbles and stones, the robes the only thing he left behind. Eren screamed, turning around and searching for the caster of this magic while swinging his sword. An ivy vine from a nearby tree wrapped around his hand holding the sword, a grip like iron around his wrist. His eyes flew to it, the damn thing twisted his wrist around and made him drop the sword. The plant wound itself around his arm up to his shoulder and no matter how much he clawed and ripped at it, it wouldn't budge. Instead it lifted him off the ground, one meter then two then four and then as high as the crowns of the trees. Eren screamed bloody murder at the plant, hitting it and trying to loosen it's grip on his arm.</p><p><br/>
“Seems like I need to correct myself” a voice came from a nearby tree. “After all you're just a stupid brat lost in the woods.”<br/>
Erens head turned to the voice and his eyes filled with hate.<br/>
On one of the thicker branches sat a young man, his face vaguely reminding him of the blind man, his eyes had a piercing glance, like arrow heads or silver stones. The hair of the man was dark and his skin had a fairly light complexion. His clothes though.. He was not dressed as a noble or a peasant, his clothes seemed to be completely made out of the woods. His shirt somehow looked like it was spun out of grass and his pant's looked like someone sew giant orange maple leaves together, just like the cloak he was wearing was made out of several different leaves, ranging from the oldest, brownest to red, orange, yellow to green leaves at the bottom hem of the cloak. What truly startled Eren thought where the lights around him. All around him floated little flowers, hollow and looking like some form of cage, their petals closed but thin and translucent. Lights in all different colors shined through them, green and blue and yellow mostly.<br/>
Eren opened his mouth to say something but the man cut him off. “Shut up.” Eren was enraged, How dare he talk to a prince like that!<br/>
“How dare you speak to your prince like that!” he yelled, trying to rip away the vine at his arm again. A glare was thrown his way.<br/>
“If you were to drop from this height you would likely break your neck. And you're no prince of mine, boy.” The man made a motion with his hand as if he were beckoning the vine closer. The plant obeyed and brought the boy closer to him, dangling him right in front of the man. Eren cursed again.</p><p><br/>
“Tell this thing to let me go you bastard!” Eren cursed while looking the man directly into his eyes.<br/>
“You still think you have some sort of power over me?” the man sounded a bit amused but that could also just be the brunets imagination since the expression on his face remained unreadable. “Boy, you truly are more stupid than anything else. I should just drop you down and let you die. After all, that's what you wanted to do anyway, wasn't it?” the man leaned bag a bit and starred him down. “Come and kill the forest, kill everything in it if it meant that the spirit also died, isn't that right?” his voice dropped to a dangerously low tone, Erens eyes widening with fear and realization.<br/>
This man before him... was the spirit of the forest. And he seemed in no mood to let Eren live or let go. He would die, right here and now, dropped to his death by the spirit he swore to destroy. But... he also couldn't run away, he said he would come back after he slain him.<br/>
The spirit eyed him for a moment, his gaze as cold as a shadowy forest stone. “You want to live, don't you?” his voice was still low, but the dangerous touch was no longer. “I swore that no harm is to come to whoever enters this woods, that I would protect the ones who couldn't protect themselves. And you, little prince, seem to be in dire need of protection from yourself. But I can't let you go like this.”<br/>
Eren was outraged. This spirit just shushed him and wanted to take him prisoner!? “You can't do that! My father would never strike a deal with such a vile creature as you!” he spat in the spirits face.<br/>
“Who said anything about prisoner? I though of more like someone who needs to learn a lesson for his own good.” the spirit sat up, standing on the branch now and looking down at the boys face, his forest green eyes, searching for something in them. “And I make sure that you learn this lesson, boy.” He grabbed the princes chin with his right hand, slender fingers grasping his cheeks and pressing into them painfully for a moment before being a bit looser but still firm. “I'll make sure that you respect the forest and it's inhabitants that you so foolishly call monsters.”<br/>
Eren tried to bite him but it was a fruitless attempt since he couldn't really move his head, dangling under the spirit. “As if a nameless spirit could force me to anything!” he spat. The spirit only grabbed him harder again.<br/>
“A strong will for someone of your age. And I'm not nameless, boy. Even though names have no meaning in this forest. But if you want to take this custom of your life.” The spirit looked straight into his eyes and Eren began to fidget in the air, struggling to get away from the man as a sudden fear crept over him, he couldn't breath properly anymore and black dots started to dance in his vision, mocking him for his fear.<br/>
“My name is Levi and I'm the Spirit of the Forest”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Dawn of day reaches out to you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun peaked over the horizon, ready to watch over the world and gift her warmth and light. Eren didn't care though, he simply yawned and snuggled deeper into his soft blanked. Just a bit longer he thought, a few more minutes...<br/>“Wake up, wake up, wake up!!! The sun is out, time to rise and shine and play!!!” squealed a high pitched voice into his ear. The brunet shrieked and almost jumped into the air, opening his eyes in a panic. The light blinded him and he needed a bit of time to adjust to the sudden brightness, the only thing he heard was amused giggling. When he finally blinked the sleep away and was able to see again his eyes darted around and he quickly realized something. This was not his room and he was not wearing his own clothes. <br/>He was inside somewhere but where was hard to say. It looked like a round room that apparently was made out of wood that was smooth and the pieces seemed seamless as if it truly was only one solid wooden orb that someone had carved out. Looking down onto his body the boy was very confused. The clothes he was wearing where a matching pair of pants and a shirt in some plain brown earth colors that looked like linen clothes or some similar fabric.<br/>On Erens right side was a small, drop-shaped opening in the wood through which the light of the sun sneaked into the room. Moss gathered on the corners of the shape and a sweet, earthy smell came from beyond it, as if it had rained recently. The brunet looker further around the room and his gaze landed on the spring of the loud yelling. <br/>A girl stood in the room, grinning and him and radiating a beaming smile. Her eyes had a healthy spring green to them, almost like his own, and laugh wrinkles around them, a mischievous spark hidden in the depths of them. Her hair was a controlled mess he would call it. A red mob of short hairs that was somewhat tamed with two short tails at the base of her neck. The girl couldn't be much older than Eren himself, maybe even a bit younger yet she reminded him of a little child waking up her older brother. Even her clothes seemed to be more fitting for a child than a young women searching for a husband: a short, bright orange dress that ended right above her knees and a short pair or green pants accompanied by a giant bright blue feather she seemed to wear as a kind of cape. Eren blinked slowly.<br/>“Geez, took long enough to wake you! I thought you would just keep on sleeping till midday!” she laughed and ran towards him, grabbing his right hand with fierce and pulling him out of, what he assumed, her bed. <br/>The girl had some serious strength in herself, he was surprised, raising his eyebrows at that. The girl just pulled him out of bed and that was when Erens eyes landed on the most distinguished feature about her. Two giant pairs of translucent, blush pink butterfly wings. He screamed, startling the girl long enough for her  to loosen her grip on him and letting go. He immediately backed off until his legs hit the wooden edge of her bed, falling back onto it.<br/>The red-haired girl twirled around, looking at him with a questioning look in her bright green eyes, her head crooked to one side. <br/>“Are you okay? Why are you screaming?” she asked him, seemingly unaware of the fact that she had giant insect wings taller than herself sprouting from her back! Eren pointed his right index finger to her, gesturing over her shoulder. <br/>“You-you... You have- what are-why do you?!?” he couldn't form the question, to much sprang to his mind now that it was shocked into being awake. <br/>Not only her wings or the seemingly wooden orb he was inside, but also that the moos seemed to be too big for such a small plant. The feather she wore was also way too big to be a normal one, her bed that was made out of entire wooden branches! The entire interior of the room was made out of wood and stones too big to lift them, giant leaves hanging everywhere, what was going on?<br/>The girl seemed puzzled for a moment until she laughed and clapped her hands together. “Oh, you mean my wings, right?!” she flapped them happily, the extra appendixes fluttering and emitting a strange sparkling pinkish powder that dance to the floor of the room, which seemed to be painted to represent the age rings of a wooden stump Eren hoped. He nodded frankly, scarred of what she might do to him. She just gave him an even bigger grin and laughed again. <br/>“Don't worry, all of you Neetwalden react the same to seeing them for the first time, that's totally normal. They won't hurt you so stop being scarred of them, you guys usually aren't.” she said and locked her eyes with Eren. “I'm Isabel Magnolia by the way and your name was Eren Something if I remember correctly, wasn't it?” <br/>“Jä..-Jäger.” he responded, startled how calm and friendly she was, not concerned with her... wings. <br/>Who was she, what was she, where was Eren, what was going on?! So many questions ran through his head and he wanted to ask them all but was unsure if she would answer honestly. <br/>“Jäger. That sounds grim, brrr.” she giggled and flapped her wings again, emitting another wave of pink sparkly dust from them. The whole floor around her glittered with it and Eren made a mental note not to step there. <br/>“Well then, Eren, how about you come out of the bed and over to me and I'll tell you aaaaall the stuff you want to know?” Isabel smiled and leaned slightly forward, she surely was more excited about this than Eren was. <br/>“How do I know if I can trust you? WHO are you, where am I and what is going on?!” the brunet shrieked. <br/>Isabel once again crooked her head to one side before bursting into laughter. “For someone who doesn't trust me you ask a lot of questions!” she calmed herself down and slowly ushered towards Eren, sitting next to him. <br/>He robbed away again but quickly hit the smooth wooden wall. It really looked seamless...<br/>“Okay, one thing after another. I am Isabel, a hollyhock flower fairy!” she proudly proclaimed and fluttered her wings again, getting the sparkly dust all over the blanket, a giant yellow rose petal which now also glittered pink. “And a damn good one I may say!” <br/>Eren couldn't believe his ears. This girl claimed to be a hollyhock fairy?! “But aren't fairies supposed to be tiny and rare?! Especially-” she stopped him. <br/>“Yeah, especially hollyhock fairies because our fairy dust is valuable enough to buy anything you want, I know. And no, I'm not tiny! I'm really tall for a fairy actually!” she smiled and flapped her wings a few more times, showing of her pinkish color and now Eren saw the resemblance between them and a hollyhock petal, but still... it was creepy to him, seeing wings, veins and the pulsing of them, the slight glittery shine they had to them as if dozens of tiny gems were embedded into them. <br/>“And to answer your other questions, you're in my home in the forest right now. Well, me and my boyfriends home.” she smiled again and send even more dust around the little bed. “We already expected you so I went and set up the old bed again and came here earlier to greet you but you were asleep already so I decided to wake you up today instead!” <br/>Eren was even more confused at what she said. How did he end up here, why was she expecting him and why was everything so... strange here? Why was he still in the woods? <br/>His look wandered to her, she seemed to sense his questions because before he could even form them in his head she answered them. <br/>“Oh, that is totally normal for you Neetwalders, -that means 'Outsider' here-, to have a little fuzzy memories after coming here but don't worry, by midday you will remember everything. Until then let's just enjoy breakfast and I'll show you around a bit, how about that?” <br/>Eren opened his mouth again to ask more questions but she shut him down. “Listen, it really is better if you wait til midday and remember by yourself, believe me, I don't wanna deal with temper tantrums right now and I know you guys love to throw hissy fits when you come here. And no, I can't read your mind but I can read your emotions. Perk of being a hollyhock fairy!” she smiled and offered him her hand again. <br/>It looked normal to Eren, like a normal human hand. He always thought fairies looked different but she looked like a girl around his age and her hand felt like that of a normal human, too, when he took it. <br/>She gently but still energetically pulled him towards a table or something that was supposed to be a table he assumed. It was a strange construct of several small twigs, held together by dozens of strings that looked like grass, the top of the table was also made out of woven grass strips it seemed. The chairs were simply a solid block of wood with some leaves dropped over them. The longer Eren was here the stranger everything became. <br/>Isabel sat him down on one of the chairs and fluttered over to some baskets that were also woven out of this grass like strings and grabbed something from one of them. She smiled and walked back to Eren, offering him one of the giant red orbs, around the size of a small honey-melon. He reluctantly took it and eyed it up and down. <br/>“It's a berry, dumb head.” was her answer. Without further hesitation she bit into the deep red berry and continued eating. Hesitantly Eren also tried  it, biting into the offered food. Sweetness greeted him and his stomach made a happy rumbling sound. Only now the brunet realized that he was practically starving, not having eaten anything since he entered the forest and he didn't even know how long ago that happened.<br/>Eren quickly ate the fruit, quite enjoying how it tasted, it was a mess. There were sweet red juices running all over his chin and fingers down his wrist. Isabel just looked at the young man sitting across from her and grinned. “You have a bigger appetite than I do!” she giggled and Eren managed a slightly embarrassed blush before remembering that he still didn't know where exactly he was or what he was doing here and why everything looked so... weird. <br/>“Well, thanks for the meal but I have a very important quest I'm on and I still need to know what exactly is going on so I'll be on my way. Now, where... Wait...” Eren looked around the room, searching for his equipment, his sword and bag, his shield and, foremost, his own clothes. Where the hell where they?!<br/>“Where is my stuff?” he asked while standing up and walking around, looking for his belongings. Isabel shrugged.<br/>“I dunno, you already came here like this. So it's possible that Big Brother still has them.” <br/>“Big brother?” Isabel nodded and gifted him a bright and big smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.<br/>“Yes, Big Bro! He's the best so don't worry, he takes care of them, I know that. He's really nice and kind and really cool under all his grumpiness!” she giggled and flapped her wings a few times, she seemed to do that a lot when she was happy. </p><p>A loud scratching and shuffling noise ended her laughter suddenly, it sounded like giant claws dragged over a wooden surface. Eren looked confused, what could make such noises? <br/>“So he's finally awake, right?” a new voice asked, this one sounding male and a bit deeper than Erens. The brunet couldn't tell where it exactly came from, it seemed to be somewhere outside but also a little bit over his head, curiosity swung with it. <br/>Isabel sprung to her feet and ran towards the opening in the round room that lead outside, or at least that was what Eren assumed. It was not really a door, more like a giant, smooth hole in the wall, vines hanging in front of it to keep wind and too much light outside. Without much concern for her guest she ripped the curtains of vines aside and Eren saw her wings flapping powerful the moment she took of. It was amazing, he admitted, a fairy taking of and flying away. The sunlight shimmered through her semi-transparent wings and caste strange warm pink shadows onto her floor and walls, the pink dust suddenly  seemed to glisten even more, every sparkle seemed to suddenly glow with a strange warm energy and sunk down slowly, dancing a weird and alien dance. The red haired fairy looked so light taking of, the wings bigger than herself carrying her with ease. She flew towards the sky and was out of Erens view. The brunet was startled and ran over to the opening, he wanted to know where Isabel went. To his demise, it seemed that there was a reason she used her wings and this reason was that the ground was a few meters below her entrance. Eren screamed when his foot didn't hit the floor and he lost balance, causing him to stumble forward, out of the opening and falling down.<br/>'That's it!' he thought and closed his eyes, it almost hurt. 'This is how I'm gonna die! Falling to my death from the housing of a fairy!'  <br/>Then, as soon as his fall began, it ended. Just not the way he expected. He simply slumped onto a soft, warm surface after maybe a few seconds. The curled up brunet opened his eyes, glancing down to see what cushioned and stopped his fall and he was meet with... feathers? <br/>Bright blue giant feathers that looked like a cloudless sky on a sunny day were beneath him. “Careful there man. Wouldn't want you getting hurt so shortly after getting here.” the same male voice said that Eren heard inside Isabels Quarters a few seconds before. The prince looked up from where the voice came and his heart stopped for a moment. <br/>A giant face starred down at him, big bright blue eyes who belonged to a male face that eyed him up and down as if he was a little child that was saved from doing something stupid. The face however seemed to lack hair, instead the entire face was framed with feathers, a light sand like color on top of it's skull quickly fading into the bright blue color that the feathers Eren was lying on had. The creature seemed to have a normal neck, small feathers sprinkling it here and there with colorful blue dots, and also a normal torso but instead of arms there were two giant wings expanding from it's shoulders, well, a little bit behind the shoulders. Eren shivered in fear. That thing was enormous, it could eat him in one swift motion if so desired!<br/>“Seems to be scared. Isabel, you did tell him where he is right now, didn't you?” asked the male, his eyes darting to the small fairy flying next to him. She seemed to cross her arms and headbutted the being. <br/>“Of course I did tell him where he is Farlan! I just... kinda forgot to tell him about you and me and the whole other thing... I planned on having a nice walk with him and showing him the place first!” she huffed and sat down on his left shoulder, a little pink-red dot in all the blue of his feathers. <br/>Farlan sighed and lifted Eren upwards on his right wing, gently placing the boy in his nest in the old tree that was Isabels and his home. Unbelievable, that girl and her nerves not to tell the boy what was going on... well, what did he expect from a fairy, honestly? She was a little mischievous creature and liked to play pranks and such a like on others. Of course she would beat around the bush... Farlan looked back at the scarred boy that searched for a way out of his nest. Well, beside feathers, grass, soft flowers and a few pieces of moss there was not much here so technically he could leave whenever he wanted. <br/>“Don't be afraid, that's my boyfriend Falran!” Isabel chimed, gaining Erens attention. “He's a bit self-indulged but other than that a solid hit!” she giggled and sprung down his shoulder, evading his cheek that pressed down where she sat a few moments before. The fairy floated down towards Eren and grinned at him. <br/>“He's... He's a monster?!?”Eren screamed and quickly slapped his hands over his mouth, looking afraid at the giant birdlike human. Farlan just shrugged at him, lifting his right food to scratch himself behind one of his feathery ears. His giant claws blinked in the forest light and Eren gulped. They were almost as big as he was tall. An insult to this monster didn't seem like the best way to go, the fairy next to him didn't matter.<br/>“No, silly, he's no monster. He's a harpy! An eastern mountain one to be more specific! They all have this pretty blue feathers but only Farlans look this pretty with the sky color!” She explained excited and pulled her feather into view. “And he's my boyfriend so I can wear his feathers, too!” <br/>“He's a Neetwalder, Isabel, don't expect him to know such things or react any other way. He doens't know the difference.” Farlan gently told her before lowering his upper body down and near Eren who nearly screamed again. Even though the Harpy wasn't as giant as before, his face just a bit taller than Isabel in total, it was still scary to look into his giant eyes and his feathered face. Even his brows seemed to be made out of tiny feathers...<br/>“I excuse for my girlfriend here, it's just her nature to play pranks. Nonetheless I want to greet you, Eren. I'm Farlan Church, a harpy as Isabel already told you, it's nice to meet you.” He gently bowed his head. Eren was confused.<br/>“So... you're not going to eat me then?” he asked, still shaking a bit. Isabel burst into laughter and Farlan simply shook his head. “I don't eat human meat, why would I? No, I consume fruits and other meat I haunt, like mice, insects and fish, sometimes even a fox if I'm lucky with my hunt, but no humans” He eyed Eren up and down. “Besides, even if I would eat them, I would certainly not eat you, not even if I was starving.” he smiled and gently nudged Erens head with his nose. <br/>“That's a harpies way of showing affection.” Isabel giggled before a swift move from Farlans left wing send her tumbling to the ground of his nest. “Ouch!” she yelled playfully and rubbed her arms who took the fall. <br/>“Harpies also do this to show trust and peace Isabel, don't fool the boy that much. It's a simple yet easy way to show that I'm no enemy where  I'm from.” he scolded her in a light tone before directing his attention back to Eren. “So, you already ate and fell out of Isabels home, well, your guest home to be more specific, and met me. Since I doubt you have any other plans we could go and take that little walk Isabel mentioned earlier? Have a nice look around and get to know the place a little bit?” <br/>Erens eyes darted between Isabel and Farlan. So many questions twirled inside his head and many more came to him with every passing second it seemed. What was happening? He knew Isabel said that his memory was just a bit foggy and would come back midday but he wanted to know now why the things were the way they were. And why was this Farlan harpy so tall and even Isabel was way too tall to be a tiny fairy, what was going- <br/>Eren looked down, out of the nest and saw the ground clearly for the first time since he came here. All the pretty flowers and lumps of dirt, the insects and fallen leaves, the gently swaying grass. And it was way to tall, everything was way to tall to be inside a normal dimension! The flowers were big enough for Eren to curl inside them and sleep there, the bees and most insects that buzzed around, minding their business , could easily carry the brunet. <br/>Everything slowly added up in his mind. The seamless, smooth wooden walls, the giant feather, Isabel being so tall, everything being much bigger than it should be... <br/>Panic hit him. Eren was tiny. He didn't know how or why but for some reason he was now a tiny being in the forest. Isabel looked concerned and shuffled over to him, petting his shoulder. <br/>“that's a lot to take in I believe but trust me Eren, everything will be fine” she tried to reassure him. Green eyes bolted towards her and the fairy backed off startled. <br/>“Everything will be fine?!?! I'm tiny!!! Shrunken down to maybe a tenth of my original height and I have no idea how to get home or to get my normal height back! I'm alone and have no idea where to go or what happened to me!” he screamed and tears started swelling in his eyes. He was scarred. So so scarred. Would he ever see his mother or father or even his pretentious brother again? Would he ever walk down the streets of Asraso, tossing a coin to the little street siblings while smiling? His friend, Armin, the apprentice of the head librarian, would he ever see him again? Or Mikasa, his adoptive sister? Even though she joined the Guardiens of the Borders to protect her friends better and he barely saw her when she went onto a mission, would he see her again? <br/>It made Isabel sad to feel this things in Eren, to see his head hanging low and tears dripping from his eyes, big and ugly tears that took his sight and blurred the ground of the mossy patch he was sitting on, hiding his face behind his hands, sobbing into them silently. Even Farlan looked sympathetic at the boy and gently laid his right wing onto his back, pushing him closer towards Isabel and himself until the skin of Eren touched his feathered body. Isabel sat down next to Eren on scooped a bit of her dust into her hands, holding her palm out to Eren. <br/>“Here.” she offered him the dust. “I know it may not be your family or a solution to your problem, but one thing a hollyhock fairy is good in is managing feelings.” Eren looked at her with teary eyes, shaking his head. He didn't wan to bottle up his emotions or whatever she offered him. He just wanted to go home and forget everything. This stupid quest to slay the Spirit seemed even more impossible now that he was tiny. <br/>“Eren, you know why hollyhock fairy dust is so valuable to humans?” Isabel asked, not waiting for an answer. “It transfers emotions.” with those words she sprinkled a few bits of the dust onto Eren.<br/>It felt as if someone wrapped a warm blanket around him, soothing his worries and comforted him, telling him everything would work out. Eren was still sad but the hopelessness was gone. He looked towards Isabel who smiled softly, a soft cooing noise vibrated from Farlan who tried his best to comfort the young man. “There, that's better.” the fairy grinned and wiped his tears away, pulling him back onto his feet. <br/>“Don't worry, everything will be alright,  Big Bro brought you here so you would be safe from whatever happened to you so I'm sure he can help you get back to normal and back home. He's really kind, you'll see!” she assured the brunet and saw that her words really did help. Eren seemed to have found new courage and nodded. <br/>“Okay, I'll trust you. Both of you.” he said before looking into the forest. “And where do we find your big brother?” <br/>“Oh, he told me that he would come back around midday so don't worry about that. Searching for him would be a hassle so just let him stop by. Until then,”, she clapped her hands, a big grin plastered onto her face again, “let's show you the neighborhood, alright?” Eren blinked. <br/>“You have neighbors?” Laughter erupted from Isabel. <br/>“Of course! Did you honestly thing only Neetwalders would have villages and cities and neighbors?” was Isabels answer. After an unamused glance from Farlan she stopped laughing and explained it to Eren. “We're currently in Arimo, a small fairy city. A bunch of different fairies live here and most of them look a lot more like fairies than I do.” Isabel exclaimed and send Erens mind wondering what she meant by that. “But it's better to just show you the real thing than sitting in this tree and talking, right?” she smirked and grabbed Erens Hand, her wings flapping already. “W-wait, am I not too heavy?!” he asked with mild panic, seeing himself slip her grasp and dropping down dozens of meters, well, centimeters, down to his death. Isabel looked at him as if he was dumb. <br/>“Uhm, no? Since you can use your own wings?” <br/>Eren was baffled. He had WINGS?!?! Isabel noticed his eyes going wide and his mouth opening, wanting to bubble out so many questions. <br/>“Yes, you have wings, my friend. Don't panic, I'm sure big bro can fix that too once he comes over. Until then...” she flopped down again. “I can show you how to use them! Believe me, flying is sooo much fun!”</p><p>Eren agreed with Isabel. Flying really was fun. After his initial shock and Isabel explaining this extra appendixes to him she instructed him how to use them to fly and it was really fun to swirl through the air and have this new kind of freedom for himself. <br/>Isabel flew next to him, dancing around him in a weird spiral way and snickering every now and then when she crossed over his back, looking down onto his wings. All Eren knew was that they had a strange shape and color to them according to her. <br/>Isabel wanted to go alone with him, Farlan staying home in their tree and doing whatever it was a harpy did during the day. Maybe hunting some mice or similar stuff?  Hell, as if Eren knew, he didn't even talk or seen a harpy up until today! He needed to ask them about that later...<br/>Isabel took the lead and flew a curve, slowly spiraling upwards into the lower branches of the forest. The trees here were older than the ones near the beginning of the forest but still not thick enough to be a part of the deep woods everyone feared. The fairy waited for Eren to clumsily flutter after her and hoover next to her.  “You okay?” she asked. Eren nodded. It was strange to fly with actual wings but it somehow felt really cool. <br/>“Okay.” Isabel pointed her fingers towards the ground. Following them Eren looked in the direction and saw an opening in the trees which lead to a clearing. Other than that it looked normal. “There is Arimo, the fairy city. You can see the toadstool between the trees, right?” Eren looked closer and noticed the mushrooms there. “They mark the boarder of the city, they're called fairy rings. Every now and then we plant new ones and make the city bigger. As long as you weren't inside the boarder of them you can't see the fairy city or any fairy inside.” she took Erens hand and flew into the clearing. <br/>The moment they passed the border of the toadstools the city sprang into Erens view and it felt like someone lifted a heavy curtain from his eyes he didn't even knew was there.<br/>Dozens and dozens of fairies flew around, most of them looking vastly different from Isabel. <br/>There were fairies that had insect wings, butterfly like, instead of arms, antenna on their head and legs that looked like the legs of bugs, warm and pretty colors all over their body, their eyes black and shiny like little droplets of the night sky. They even greeted Isabel and him with a soft chirping noise and a smile, fluttering away as quickly as they came into his view. <br/>Others seemed to appeal more to a floral kinda look, their wings were literal leaves and their upper body was made out of petals, their hair was made out of petals that seemed to float, their eyes shiny like wet seeds, their legs looking like stems and their dresses were made out of the same petals that belonged to their flower or plant. Those fairies just smiled at them and a high chime echoed through the air, it was almost like a little bell rang from afar. <br/>Eren was amazed. All of them looked so different from Isabel and even more so from himself but they all were really pretty and nice and kind. Isabel just smiled and dragged him of into the city itself. <br/>The houses, that was something Eren realized quickly, were made out of things that those fairies found in the woods. Some were made in natural hollows in trees or bushes, some seemed to have made their homes with some help of other beings and little stones that were pilled up. Even in the branches that hung in the fairy ring Eren could spot their homes. Small little woven balls of grass and twigs and petals hung in them, fairies entering and leaving them. There was so much life inside this small circle, so many different faces and beings, it was almost overwhelming. The smell of the earth after rain was really strong here and Isabel seemed to notice that he picked it up because she turned around and smiled. “That's called Petrichor, this smell of the earth after rain. All fairy cities smell like that, fresh and futile.”<br/>“It's a wonderful scent” Eren smiled back at her. It smelled like the spring, like a new beginning. Maybe Isabel was right and her big brother could fix this whole mess he was in. Speaking of, Eren had a few questions that regarded Isabel and the other fairies. “Isabel, would it be okay to ask you some things about fairies?” <br/>The red haired girl nodded, still flying through the city, passing by fairies and greeting them, dragging Eren behind her. None of the fairies eyed him with suspicion or something similar, everyone seemed fine with him being here. “Well, what are your questions then? We have time till midday~” she sang, spotting a nice branch over a small field or wild roses and landing there, gesturing Eren to do the same. The boy was grateful, his wings really hurt from flying, he wasn't used to them. “Alright, your questions?” asked Isabel and locked her gaze with the brunet.<br/>“Well... where do fairies come from? And how do you manage to live here in secret and what do you do all day and why are you so different from all the other ones?”<br/>Isabel looked up into the branches, her feet dangling over the round edge of the branch she sat on. “Well, the fairy rings protect us from other peoples view. You need to bee inside one to see us and since everyone things they're a symbol of bad luck or a portal to the fairy world no one steps into them. For what we do all day, the same things you guys do, play, work, gather food for the winter and so on. Everyone has their own life here but we try to help each other out as best as we can.” she smiled fondly, seemingly remembering a good moment. Her eyes gazed down into the wild roses, a questioning look on them. “And where fairy come from, there two ways.” Isabel said, sliding of the branch and lazily flapping down to one of the roses, gesturing for Eren to come closer. <br/>They both circled around a closed bud of a wild white rose, the petals shivering and looking strange. Eren couldn't place his finger on it thought, they just looked different from normal petals or a normal bud in that case. <br/>“There are two ways a fairy can come into this world.” she smiled. “The first one is being born a fairy.” <br/>A bright white light emitted from the center of the bud, still closed, and as quickly as it came to be it faded again, almost blending Eren. Now the petals slowly and carefully opened up, revealing a curled up, white figure inside them. Isabel leaned a bit closer, allowing Eren to take a better look as well. <br/>The curled up figure was an infant, small white petal wings in the shape of the wild rose sprouting from their back, this baby clearly was a flower fairy as Eren called them. Just lying there, sleeping peacefully and undisturbed. Isabel started waving, notifying someone that a new fairy was born. Another fairy, also with the same shaped wings as the baby, rushed over to them and ushered them away from the bud, smiling at the child in the flower. Isabel crooked her head into another direction, asking Eren to follow her again. He obeyed and both swirled through the air again.<br/>“Fairies can be born like any other baby. That just now was a flower fairy baby being born. They are spirits of the flowers and every time a flower blooms for the first time a fairy is born from that very flower. And every fairy has different wings and abilities depending on their parents. There are fairies that can bless the woods and even humans to be more fertile, some fairies that grant peaceful dreams, some fairies that create nightmares and so on. And fairies like me, that look like humans, we are born another way. It doesn't happen that often but from time to time someone like me is born” she smiled fondly and kept flying in one direction, further and further away from the fairy city and the fairy ring, further away from Farlan and the deep part of the forest. Eren followed her, questioning where they're heading but the red haired fairy didn't answer him, she just kept flying. </p><p>Eren couldn't tell if hours or minutes passed by where they flew further and further from the core of the forest but Isabel suddenly came to a halt, Eren almost crashing into her. He wanted to ask her why she suddenly stopped until he followed her gaze. <br/>An old tree stump, overgrown with moss stood all alone on a small hill. The stump itself was really old and radiated a strange aura of serenity and calmness, the vegetation here seemed somehow different. The wind blew through the branches, rustling the leaves and a cry emitted from the stump.  The prince was shocked. He wanted to fly over to the stump, Isabel gripping his arm before he could fly closer. <br/>“Eren, no!” she said, trying her hardest to keep the young prince where he was. Eren twisted his arm and wrist around, managing to get away from Isabel, and flew over to the old stump. His eyes widened at the sight.<br/>A young infant, no more than a few days old laid there, the baby carefully tucked into an old blanket. It's eyes were closed but it cried again for it's mother to come back to it. With every second the cries became sadder and more desperate, the baby started sobbing. <br/>Eren looked around, searched for the mother of the child, his eyes landed on Isabel. The fairy just hovered there, looking at him with a sad expression. The red haired girl came over and softly grabbed his shoulder, her hand resting there reassuringly. <br/>“What the hell does this mean?”  Erens voice was distant, his eyes fixed on the still crying infant who wanted his mother back. <br/>“Humans are stupid.” Isabels voice sounded strange and distant from the conversation, as if she herself wasn't present but rather somewhere else in a place or time far away. “Some people think that, when a child does not develop like a normal baby, the fairies stole the kid. And then they bring their infants here, lay them down and leave.” The girl let go of his shoulder and gently dragged him towards a branch near the still crying child. <br/>“They think that when they return a child back home the fairies will give them back their own. Some bring their babies here as an offering for power or some other twisted shit. And some just don't know what else to do with them.”<br/>Eren could hear it in Isabels voice, all the questions, the pain, the underlying unspoken words. <br/>“So we wait. Big Bro will take care of it. He always does” <br/>They waited at the babies side, listened to it's distressed cries and kept the silence between them. Eren learned a lot of things and still had many questions but he didn't want to ask them now. Isabel seemed too distant for that now. They just sat by each others side and waited, waited for something Eren couldn't name. Something would happen but he didn't know what it was, just that it would and when it did he would know. He was sure he would know.<br/>He was lost in his own thoughts. About the forest, the woods, Isabel, the fairies, the harpy, all the things that happened before he woke up as a fairy himself, everything up til this moment. <br/>It was so strange, so much to take into account. And it somehow made Eren feel sad. A sadness he couldn't name, as if somehow he was floating in a vast wide world full of colors he couldn't understand, Colors he had seen before but they were nothing more than a small dot in his life that now seemed so much smaller than before. It was all around him and even though he should be amazed he was just sad, this strange kind of sadness he couldn't name. <br/>Isabel patted him on his shoulder, ripping him away from his thoughts. His eyes darted to her and she nudged his gaze to the stump. “I told you Big Bro would take care of it.” she said smiling.<br/>From between the trees came a hooded figure towards the stump, a cloak made out of leaves, and a dozen glowing flowers softly swirling around them. The hooded figure walked over to the stump and picked the crying infant up, cradling the child in it's arms. The baby stopped crying and sobbing as the figure laid it's right hand on the child's head, mumbling something. A soft, green light pulsed through the hand of the hooded person, glowing like sunlight filtered through the leaves of a tree. The baby seemed to also glow with this soft, warm light, slowly being submerged by it. The blanket fell onto itself as if the baby disappeared. The light ceased to be and Isabel stood up. “And this-”, she said to Eren without turning her face towards him, “-is how fairies like me are born.” she smiled softly before fluttering of towards the hooded figure, a trail of sparkling fairy dust behind her. Isabel imply fluttered before the person that stretched out it's hand, a small green glowing spark there that the fairy carefully picked up. She seemed to talk to the person for a moment, too quiet for Eren to understand anything, before she turned around an flew towards the brunet again. In her arms she carried the now quiet and sleeping baby, small pink wings wrapped around its body, their shape reminding Eren of acacia. <br/>“He will help you, just go and talk to him, I asked for you.” she smiled. Eren looked at the child. “What happens to it now?” <br/>“I will take her to the city and someone will take care of her. Little Caoimhe needs a good family after all.” Isabel fluttered away, leaving Eren and the person she called Big Bro alone. <br/>The hooded figure just stood there, facing towards Eren, the face hidden under the leave cloak. The prince carefully approached. “Isabel told me you could help me to go back to my normal self again. You can do that, right?” The figure just lifted it's hands, grabbing the hem it the leave cloak and carefully removing it.<br/>Eren felt the blood inside his veins both run cold and boil at the same time. The man who stood in front of him, this man with the pale grey eyes and the leave clothes was the forest spirit. <br/>“That depends little prince.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*Neetwalden roughly translates as "not from the woods"<br/>*Caoimhe means beautiful, gentle or kind </p><p>Chapter two and I do no longer posses a healthy sleep rhythm xD<br/>anyway, let me know what you think so far and if you have any feedback, I try to write longer chapters but somehow the cut felt right but also a bit rushed... the entire chapter felt rushed to be honest in my opinion xD</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. When all was done, he turned to run</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The one where Eren learns to ride a flying hare</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Both just stood there, no one said a word, the tension rising between the former human and the spirit.</p>
<p>“YOU!” Eren screamed after his emotions got the better of him. Anger boiled inside his frail form, raising like the tides of the ocean as he flew towards the spirit responsible for this whole ordeal.<br/>“You did this to me! Turn me back!” <br/>His angry yells met deaf ears, the spirit not afraid or impressed in the slightest, just looking at the fairy before him, fluttering there in anger. </p>
<p>“No.” Levis voice was firm and and left no room to play. He meant what he had said. <br/>“There's a reason I brought you here, little prince. For you to learn the way of nature and the inhabitants of this forest. I brought you here for your own protection. When I came to this woods I swore an oath to protect whichever creature enters here and needs guidance or help, and that includes you, young one.” The raven haired man pointed at the fairy in front of him. </p>
<p>“Protecting me!?! By turning me into a fairy!? How does this protect me from anyone?!” Erens voice echoed into the woods surrounding him, the prince gesturing up and down his body and the new wings he sprouted. <br/>“You turned me into a forest kin! You ripped me from my family and friends! This isn't protection, this is abduction!” he screamed, his voice dripping with spite and the hardly suppressed desire to attack the spirit. But Eren was no fool, he wouldn't be able to do any harm against such a powerful opponent in this form. He would most likely be killed or squished by the spirit before he could even flinch with his wings.</p>
<p>Levi eyed the restless creature before sighting. 'He really has no clue...'. <br/>“Giving you a form that means no harm comes to you because your pursuers aren't looking for a fairy,so it is considered a form of protection in my eyes.” </p>
<p>The tiny fairy seemed to forget how to work his wings for a moment. <br/>“What pursuers?” he asked, confusion and caution glistening in his eyes. Never trust a spirit, especially not the Lord of the Forest itself, that's what his nanny used to teach him.</p>
<p>Levi didn't answer. Instead he raised his hand, a soft glowing green light erupting from it, engulfing the Fairy and himself, coating them in it until it was all they could see. Then, as quick as Levi had summoned it, he released it, the light dimmed down and revealed another part of the forest. </p>
<p>Thin trees and branches formed spaces which enabled one to gaze beyond the forest, spot fields and hills covered in soft grass. A few houses and some streets here and there, some tents put up nearby. And the banner of Erens house, the royal families symbol, fluttering in the gentle wind, claiming it as a village under their protection. <br/>Eren knew of this town's existence, he passed through it on his way to slay the spirit; Halcyon.<br/>However, something seemed... off. There were tents near the entrance of the forest, beside the dirt road. A burned down campfire in their middle and a few odd looking fellas sitting there, seemingly unnerved by something. </p>
<p>“Unbelievable... How the hell did the little runt get away from us?!” one of them scoffed. <br/>“Don't ask me, these woods  are a fucking maze to be honest. If we're lucky the things in there will rip him apart” another snickered. <br/>“You fucking thick-headed morons! He specifically instructed us to bring proof that the brat died, meaning the prince's head! No head, no payment!” a third one yelled at them. </p>
<p>Erens ears jolted alert and wings fluttered slightly faster at that, shock written all over his face. <br/>'The Princes Head... My head...'</p>
<p>He couldn't believe what the man said so casually, discussing about the murdering of the prince of Ferenys. Why though? He was not next in line for the throne, he never would be.<br/>His wings stopped flapping. Eren plummeted down, landing on smooth pale skin, the hand of the Spirit holding him, not saying a single word while the young boy listened to the men talk. Unable to comprehend what was going on, why they wanted his head, why someone wanted him dead. His world turned upside down, everything too big, him so small in the palm of the spirits hand. </p>
<p>“Well, good fucking luck then, I'm not going back into that cursed forest, not even for the crown of Ferenys itself! That bastard can keep his gold and silver to himself all he want, I'm not risking my own life to kill a stupid brat that ventured into these cursed trees!” one of the mans gruffed at his companions, pulling out a document and glancing over it. <br/>“Someone else can take this shitty quest, I quit. Crowns and kingdoms aren't worth losing my head to that wicked place.” The man, greasy beard and a dirty blond colored  hair, looked at the other men sitting around the burned out remains of their fire. One after another they nodded before standing up, getting their tents and shouldering their backpacks. </p>
<p>The youngest in the group, a man with a terrifying scar over his right eye and a reddish tint to his brown hair, growled at them all the while, unhappy with the decision of the older ones. He opened his palm and stretched out his hands, grunting at the others. The older men looked at him, handing him the scroll which the younger male snatched out of his palm, stuffing it into a pouch of his own. They looked at each other for a tense moment before one of the older ones huffed. </p>
<p>“Whatever. I don't want anything to do with that thing Scareye so you can take on that fucking suicide quest if you want or get the scroll to the guild. Someone will be stupid or brave enough to go and fetch that little rat's head.” Without another word the men turned and made their way out of the small village, back into the direction of the capitol and the bigger cities inland, away from the forest. Only the youngest one seemed to hesitate, turning around and making his way to the north. </p>
<p>“Are you still convinced I am the bad guy here, little prince?” asked the voice of the spirit, deep and calm next to Eren's twitching fairy ears, sensitive to the sound. The tiny creature jumped but couldn't find it in him to yell or fuss at the much more powerful being that held him in it's hands. <br/>“Either I turn you into a forest kin or they would've killed you once you settled down for the night, cut off your head and left your body rotting under a tree.” the entity kept on talking. Eren was not paying any attention, just staring at the men, walking away from the forest. The reason he was now a forest kin, a monster to his own people. Scorching hot anger boiled inside him again. Anger towards those very men. </p>
<p>“Turn me back” Emerald orbs lifted up towards the spirit, a fire burning inside them. <br/>“Turn me back this instance.” The spirit eyed Eren up and down a moment before he shaking his head. </p>
<p>“No, you still have a lesson to learn little prince. Do you honestly believe you could take on three mercenaries with far more years of hunting humans then you are old?” The fairy fluttered with rage, wanting to lash out at the spirit, snarling at him, like some kind of animal. <br/>“I will not turn you back into a human before you learned what you need to know. Respecting the forest and the people and creatures living there. For now, while this hasn't made it's way into that thick skull of yours, you'll stay at my side and as a fairy or whatever form I see fit for you.” the voice of the spirit was firm and left no room for interpretation or discussion. </p>
<p>“You can't be serious!” The prince's fury didn't faze the spirit in the least, he simply lifted his palm higher until the tiny being in his hand looked directly into his silver eyes, a stern and piercing look to them. </p>
<p>“I am.” He spoke, lifting his other hand over the little princes head, the thumb of the palm Eren was resting on snatching over his legs to pin him in place. </p>
<p>The brunet started howling at him, trying to shove the finger away but to no avail. <br/>He was trapped, his legs rendered useless in the gentle grasp. The spirit stretched it's index finger outwards, tapping Eren's head with it before soft glowing green light erupted from its finger, floating there before materializing itself and falling onto his chest. <br/>It was heavy and warm, buzzing with energy of the forest. The green eyes of the prince shifted down onto his chest, the spirit removing his fingers so the boy could better see. On his torso, resting around his neck, dangled a key. Bronze, weighty and old, looking like it belonged to some old treasure box. </p>
<p>“To show you that I am, I 'gift' you this. It binds you to me and the forest. You cannot remove it on your own and I won't do it until I think you've finally learned your lesson.” </p>
<p>The fingers of the tiny fairy came up to the key, touching it. The brass material seemed to buzz and vibrate, warm and smooth to the touch when Eren's finger pressed down onto it. His hands gripped at the material and he tried to lift the key over his head but his arms went heavy and stopped to move, refused to, once he reached his eyes, his fingers trembling and ultimately letting the key fall back onto his chest. </p>
<p>“What kind of witchery is this?!” he demanded to know, but the forest spirit did not answer as it did so often. Instead, it just turned around and made its way back into the forest. Eren's eyes flickered back to the village. Civilization. And with every step it grew further and further away from him, and there was nothing he could do to stop this march back into the greenery. Slowly but surely the trees and bushes swallowed the houses and streets, the open fields and people there until all that surrounded the once-human prince was the forest and the life within it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The journey back to the fairy village was spent quietly, Eren held in place firmly by the forest spirit who carried him the entire way. The little fairy tried to free himself from the merciless grip countless times but quickly was exhausted and let himself drop his struggle, only twitching every now and then. The brunet lowered his head into the palm, closing his eyes and trying to get some rest, restoring some energy to maybe try and fly to the border once he was free and then... </p>
<p>Then what? </p>
<p>He was a fairy and no one could revers the god's spell beside the creature itself... Even if he somehow managed to become human again there was still the threat of the mercenaries who were out for his head for some unbeknown reason. Something about them bugged the prince. Something wasn't right, a nasty little detail overlooked when he saw them, some miniscule thing that stood out but he couldn't name it...</p>
<p>The tiny fairy dozed off in the palm of the spirit rather quickly once Levi applied some magic to ease the prince's mind that he felt buzzing with questions and thoughts. He understood the once-human better then he might thought or suspected and knew that reserving energy would be one important task for the little fairy for now. </p>
<p>Especially with the approaching night of the full moon that came closer and closer. The fairies were growing agitated already, alongside other forest kin. Levi cursed himself for turning the prince into a fairy and not something else but it was the quickest and easiest way to prevent the boy from being killed. Even if the young one still did not believed it; Levi was the protector of this forest and he would do his damndest to keep everyone in these woods safe. Even the clueless little prince in his palm, sleeping soundly as the raven carried him back into his sanctuary and towards the fairy gardens and the tiny city of Arimo where the other fairies probably already started to get roused and preparing for the incoming festival. </p>
<p>On one hand Levi wished to return after they held it, but on the other hand it would be a valuable lesson for the prince and hopefully warm the brunet up to the idea of learning more about the forest kin. Maybe even including Levi himself. </p>
<p>He always disliked the image the public painted of him over centuries. The picture of the cruel, unkind, harsh and relentless demon sitting on his throne of thorns and the remains of unfortunate adventurers in the woods, commanding all the terrible, ghastly beings inside the forest that he created with a snap of his fingers, laughing over the humans pain and despair. </p>
<p>The man frowned. This was not him, it was not like him at all. While it was true that he was the origin for almost everything inside these woods and that he could be unkind and harsh towards anything he deemed a threat to the forest it wasn't true that he was overly amused or enjoying the</p>
<p>suffering of the humans as well as creating every being in these woods from nothing but thin air. He thought back to the days when the first beings started to appear, the very first creatures he created and how different some of them looked from the ones you knew today. How some of them shifted their appearance and name so drastically that they were no longer anywhere close to how they looked before if you were to see one of the old days next to them now. </p>
<p>Levi remembered clearly how these woods were once the home to humans too, living under his protection and care. </p>
<p>The days after the Great War. </p>
<p>The days before the shift in power took place and the woods were a tiny kingdom in the far north of Sion, barely able to hold a handful of fae folk and other beings. Most of them living out in the plains and other habitats, in constant fear of humans and vicious beasts. <br/>Levi remembered the Great War and it's consequences all to well and vividly. </p>
<p>A curse as old as the Sigils of magic itself, discovered by a desperate sorcerer who hungered for more power. Levi remembered the first Sages, dutifully accepting their role in these times of need, carrying and protecting the Sigils from everyone who wanted harm. I<br/>t made his heart ache to think back all those centuries when it happened, those bright and innocent eyes of the first Sages staring at him when they sought for protection in his woods. All of them merely kids, not even close to being out of their childish years and yet burdened with such a heavy fate. The raven gifted them a part of his power, young and weak back then compared to now. He himself was barely able to defend these woods and when the time came and the last battle was fought... his power was returned to him. He was surprised to say the least. But this tiny little fairy he gifted it to smiled at him and gratefully gave it back without a fuss. </p>
<p>Things began to change then, the kingdoms in turmoil and chaos, power shifts happened, alliances were formed and new bonds were tied. And Levi was included in those. It took a few years but soon he was approached by some of the new kings and queens and leaders of the lands who wanted peach with him and nature as a whole. So he did, under the condition that the woods were a sanctuary for everyone who entered them with pure intentions. </p>
<p>Soon humans and other creatures alike began to flock to the tiny forest in the north and settled down together. Taking care of the woods and trees, slowly the forest grew like the other smaller kingdoms had. From a mere patch on a map to the giant territory it was now, reaching from almost the farthest western boarder of the sea, splitting Ferenys and Rivje, a once powerful sea kingdom but now merely the size of the old forest, to the eastern coast of Sion, across the whole land. </p>
<p>Bordering every kingdom now and only being rivaled in size by the northern lands of Sismea, ruled by ice, snow and frozen ground.<br/>He shook his head to get those thoughts away. Yes, the forest could be considered the most powerful nation and kingdom of the entire land and would be more than able to rival the forces of every other kingdom. But they all forgot that the forest was no kingdom. It was just that; a forest, a place where the mythical and mysterious, the fleeing and seekers could live and stay. </p>
<p>They had no king or queen or something similar to rule over them. Only themselves and the spirit watching over them, guarding the people here. Levi was not responsible for what the people in these woods did. He merely watched over them, soothing rising anger and fights if they threatened others and gave his blessings and protection to those who asked. Or those who needed it like Eren. <br/>The raven looked back down to the tiny curled up figure in his palm, snoring and using his thumb as a pillow. 'How wonderful it must be to be so blissfully unaware of everything' Levi thought before looking back onto the path he walked. </p>
<p>It would take him some time to get back to the fairy city and he'd rather not reach it before the full moon had passed. Fairies were mischievous creatures and most of them only played pranks and tricks, even on their own kin. But foremost they were inhabitants of this forest, equipped with the means necessary to defend themselves. Disguising and luring intruders and threats to their death, using magic to their advances and, if necessary, turning into beasts to drive off anyone who means harm. It's how Levi made them when he was young and inexperienced in what he did. </p>
<p>But what he really dreaded about the full moon was the ceremony of the fairies that would take place. They would feel a pull, an urge they could not resist. To dance and celebrate under the full moon, swirling in the beams of pale light and their own glow, luring out another court of the fairies. And if Levi was not mistaken it was time for them to birth a new queen. He'd rather not have the young prince witness this. Not that it was gruesome or bloody in particular. But fairy dances were alluring and otherworldly for a reason. <br/>Eren had no stamina and it could very well kill him to dance with them through the night which he would feel the need and urge to do so. He could turn him into another forest kin, sure, but Levi felt it wasn't the right time yet. The boy had a lesson to learn as a fairy and until that lesson was learned he would stay a fairy. </p>
<p>A sound to Levis left made him wary, his other hand coming up to cover the tiny fairy in his palm. His eyes followed to the source of the noise and landed on a beautiful young women, naked and staring at him with a smile plastered on her face, blinking at him with bright eyes. She recognized him, not bothering to hide her tail, the cow like appendage flicking lightly against her belly now and then while she looked at the Spirit, curious at what he hid in his palm.  </p>
<p>“I'm surprised to see you here. As far as I know there are no charcoal burners or lakes nearby and also no paths to lure travelers away from.” Levi spoke at the women. She just snorted, grabbing her tail and playing with it before she focused on him again, letting the tail be and walking over to him. </p>
<p>“I had a little bird whistling me that the Guardian of this woods took in a human. And that made me curious, searching out for him.” The women said, coming closer until she stopped a few feet away from him, her blue eyes fixed onto his hands. She wanted to know what he hid there but knew better than to come closer to the Spirit, he would not hesitate to scare her away by any means necessary. </p>
<p>“They whistled correctly but that's none of your concerns. I took him in to teach him a lesson and I don't need to remind you that he will cause no harm to anyone here.” </p>
<p>The women kept her eyes on him, narrowing the beautiful blue to piercing harsh orbs. Finally she just huffed, shaking her head. <br/>“Then I hope he learns his lesson sooner than later... Words spread fast in the woods and I know many other creatures who would love to get a taste of human blood, flesh or his soul.” she smirked. </p>
<p>A vine slithered out of the bushes, rushing towards her and winding itself around her neck, squeezing tight. The women started to struggle, her cow tail slapping at the vine while her hands flew up to pry the thing away from her neck, her eyes  darting to the man in front of her, still cupping the thing in his hands.</p>
<p>“I'll say this once, Huldra, so you'd better listen; if I find out that the human died or was harmed in any way and you're somehow responsible for it or somehow affiliated with whoever harmed him-,” he squeezed the vine tighter, the Huldra starring daggers at him while desperately trying to breath, “- I will not hesitate.” </p>
<p>With these words the raven release the vine and the Huldra sank to the ground, gasping for air. The women lifted her head, blue daggers starring at the spirit before she started to rise to her feet, slowly backing away into the trees again. A last hateful look was send the mans way before she turned around and ran, disappearing between into the density of the forest. </p>
<p>Levi kept his guard up for a few minutes longer, sure she would return but he felt her leaving and walking away from him, fury rushing through her veins. </p>
<p>He exhaled, lifting his hand and looking down at the prince still in his palm. The boy was still curled up and his green wings were draped over him like a blanket, slowly rising and falling, pretending to still sleep and dream in the spirits embrace but Levi felt that he was awake, his energy radiating off of him like a heat from a fire. </p>
<p>“And for how long do you think you can pretend to sleep so I carry you, brat?” he asked, tilting his hand until the tiny fairy tumbled out of it and needed to fly on his own or fall down onto the ground. The brunet was less than amused by that, clinging to the spirits hand. </p>
<p>“Why should I fly when it isn't my fault that I can't walk and keep up with anyone in the first place now?!” he protested, his green orbs focused on the spirits face. Leaf green clashing with stormy gray. </p>
<p>The Raven just huffed before he shook his hand a bit harder, sending Eren flying with a screech ripped from the princes lungs, forcing the brunet to use his own wings. </p>
<p>“Because you have wings for a reason so use them you lazy brat.” Levi huffed as answer, not willing to put up with a tantrum from the prince. He continued to walk on his path, leading towards the fairy settlement, letting the prince follow on his own. He heard huffing behind him followed by the barely audible sound of wings in the air as the prince followed him. </p>
<p>“Who was that?” the brunet asked after a while, referring to the woman that had approached them earlier. <br/>“A local Huldra, her name is Carven or something like that I believe.“ was Levis answer.<br/>“A what?” Eren never heard that word before or had any idea what that creature was. <br/>The spirit huffed before he slowed down to walk beside the flying fairy </p>
<p>“A Huldra,” the spirit started, “is a beautiful women with the tail of a cow or fox. They are seen as protective spirits by the charcoal burners in the southern regions, especially in the mountain chain Tam. They warn the charcoal burners of fires and other threats if treated with respect and kindness and get offerings regularly. However, the northern Huldras are more vile. They trick wanderers and other folk into following them to lakes or streams and drown them there if they so please, mostly after having sex with them. They have no shame leading humans to their deaths and switching their own changeling children for the human infants.” Levi eyed the fairy boy who was listening closely, looking a bit unwell hearing this.</p>
<p>The forest around them did nothing to soothe the fairy, the branches rustling in the wind, the trees swaying softly and the animals whistling and running around him seemed to only make him more nervous then before.</p>
<p>“And Carven is a Huldra from the northern kingdom of Sismea. She migrated south after the territorial war there destroyed her home.” The raven shoot Eren a knowing look. “You have any idea how this stupid conflict in the north affects nature? How many people and creatures fleet here in the last centuries because you stupid humans can't even keep peace in one of your kingdoms?” </p>
<p>The boy snapped. “It's not my fault!” Eren yelled at the creature. “I have nothing to do with the civil war in the north or the power conflict between the state and the Cultists there!” The brunet thought he heard the spirit snort out in amusement or disbelieve when the raven turned around and stopped the prince mere centimeters from his face.</p>
<p>“It's a shame that I understand more about your politics than you do, prince.”</p>
<p>The words of the spirit hurt, they stabbed at Erens pride as a prince and possibly even at his prejudices against the forest kin. So far the only creatures living in these woods, Isabel, her lover Farlan and the other fairies in their city, were kind and welcoming to him. Heck, even the Forest Spirit itself had been nothing but patience to him and even his turning him into a fairy had been a kind act to protect him from being murdered.</p>
<p>The brunet was ripped from his thought process by a strange noise startling him. His ears twitched at the sound and he flew towards the direction he located it, a little bush near the spirit. Curious he hovered there for a moment, unsure if he should pursue to dive into the shrubbery or not to find out what this strange snaring noise was when the decision was made for him.</p>
<p>A little hare jumped out of the bush, hopping along his way and stopping at the Spirits feet to sniff him before setting down and starting to eat. </p>
<p>It was a beautiful hare, even Eren could see that. A dark brown color and big black eyes and ears. And... where that wings? <br/>Eren blinked before looking again but the picture stayed the same. </p>
<p>The hare had the wings of a bird, peasant like he dared to say. A winged hare, eating here as if nothing was wrong. Then another one jumped out of the bush, followed by two more and a last one clumsily flying after the others before falling to the ground, it's little legs kicking out and trying to scramble back onto all four of it's legs. The little family of winged hares just sniffed at the ground and the spirit before setting onto eating, the brunet dumbfound by what he saw. </p>
<p>“What are those?” the question was out before he could try to keep it in. The spirit just beckoned him closer to the creatures, kneeling down beside them and lifted one of the fellas into his lap. A tiny fluffball with black fur and the same brown peasant wings as the others.</p>
<p>“They're called Skvaders.” the spirit answered, Eren coming to rest on the ravens arm, eyeing the tiny animal. <br/>“Hares with wings. There are others like them here, rabbits with antlers or other animal parts. They all have a name but are known as Wolpetinger. Animals that have other animals characteristics. Most of them have a specific name they prefer or want to be called  but everything that doesn't is called a Wolpetinger.” <br/>He explained, noticing Erens curiosity about these more gentle aspects of the forest kin. <br/>“Skvaders are great mounts for fairies by the way.” he mentioned, wanting to see Eren's reaction. The boys head flung towards him, his eyes bright and wide with disbelieve. </p>
<p>“No way that fairies ride on those!” he said, flying over to the small hare in the spirits lap and looking it up and down. <br/>The prince and hare were around the same height as a normal human compared to a horse, the animal eyeing him and sniffing at the boy. </p>
<p>“Oh they do, fairies ride on all kinds of different animals if they form a bond with them. That can be a Skvader, a bird, a fox or even a deer. Haven't you noticed that these don't shy away from you anymore? They recognized you as one of the forest dwellers and don't fear you.” the voice of the raven was calm while he petted the Skvader and explained this to the green eyed fairy.</p>
<p>This was when an idea struck him and he sat the little fella down onto the ground again, the animal lazily making it's way to it's still grassing family. </p>
<p>Levi breathed out deeply before the little lights around him began glowing in a brighter light, dancing around him and swirling faster and faster until he was no longer recognizable, only a bright mix of different glowing lights intertwining with each other. He felt as if layers of layers were stripped away from him as the magic flowed through his being, giving him a new form he shaped for himself. The flowery lights slowed down, reducing their glowing to a soft, barely visible color again, revealing the transformation of the spirits appearance to the boy. </p>
<p>Eren, who had shielded his eyes from the sudden light, uncovered his eyes from his hands and needed a few moments to proceed what seemed out of touch. Then it hit him: the spirit was around the same height as himself, maybe a bit shorter, a green blueish light glowing on his back, where his wings would be. Other than that the spirit looked like he did before. The leaf cloak, the maple leaf like pants and the grass fiber like shirt, the feet naked on the forest ground. </p>
<p>Before the prince could usher a question the raven walked over to one of the Skvaders, petting it's head. The animal lowered itself and allowed him to get on to of it, sitting comfortable between the head and the wings of the hare. His gaze shifted to Eren, lingering on him for a moment.</p>
<p>“What are you waiting for? I thought you complained about not wanting to fly on your own, lazy brat.” </p>
<p>This woke the brunet up a bit and he crossed his arms, sending resentful looks the ravens way. <br/>“I'm not lazy! And besides, is that really okay? Just separating them from their family like that?” The little thing didn't look to concerned about its parents and siblings but Eren was. <br/>He knew how it felt to be forcefully ripped away from loved ones by someone else much more powerful then oneself. But the spirit seemed not concerned by that. Instead he simply crooked his head. </p>
<p>“Who said we're separating them? Her family comes with us for as far as they want. Trust me, I may be depicted as cruel by the humans outside the woods. But I care about whoever enters this forest.” he stated, gesturing for Eren to go ahead and sit on a Skvader himself, readying to fly on an animal for the first time in his life. </p>
<p>Deep down inside him, Eren was excited about this. Flying by himself as a fairy proofed to be really amazing but it also was tiring. So he gave into the demands of the Spirit and reluctantly shuffled over to a brown-white-caramel patterned Skvader, his wings were a chaos of hues, too. Here and there some brown dots on white dunes before a muddy color lapped over the tips and sides. It was a colorful companion to say the least. </p>
<p>The prince slowly lifted his hand next to the creatures head, the animal paying him only a glance before focusing on the grass again. Eren felt braver that the hare hadn't attacked him, a thought that made him laugh internally. Who knew he would feel brave one day for not being attacked by a rabbit? </p>
<p>His hand came into contact with the fur of the Skvader and for a moment Eren thought the creature would bolt of and away from him, afraid or surprised by his touch. But it simply brought one of it's legs up to scratch it's head, not concerned about Erens touch in it's soft fur. </p>
<p>Eren took a moment to admire how soft it felt while also not looking like it at all. He closed his hand around some of the fur, grabbing onto the Skvader before lifting himself up onto it, with a little help of his own wings. Once he settled in between the head and the wings of the Skvader he looked around, spotting he spirit who's Skavder had wandered a bit astray, sniffing at a bush and munching on some roots or leaves there probably. The green eyed boy tried to figure out how to get the animal to move closer to the other mounted Skvader when suddenly the tiny furry being decided to move on it's own. </p>
<p>A surprised yelp left Erens throat and he clang to his mounts fur, grabbing anything he could to support himself and not falling of. The movement was nothing like a horses, much jumpier and shorter, but somehow the prince could feel the power behind those jumps, the speed this tiny creature could muster up if it needed to. Somehow... this hare was much more intimidating in it's hoping way of moving than a war horse. Maybe because here Eren didn't thought  this creature could cause him harm until he sat down.</p>
<p>Levi watched this play with amusement before he whistled and the boys Skvader looked straight at him, coming towards him, his family following him. When the animal came to stop next to him he needed to surpress a smirk at the slightly shocked look on the green eyed face. </p>
<p>“Just keep holding on tight, no loud or sudden noises and don't try to force him into a certain direction. And don't rip any fur out, he will throw you off.” with these words Levi pressed his legs and tights together on the tiny animal, as if he wanted to get a horse moving. The Skvader seemed to still for a moment before a jolt went through it and the creature sprinted of into the forest, followed by it's family, including Erens mount. </p>
<p>The pack chased through the woods fast, faster than any horse Eren ever rode and it was quite a challenge to hold onto the animals during this ride. Yet alone looking where the animal was running. So when it suddenly jumped over a small fallen tree trunk Eren almost screamed, certain they would crash into the damn thing. </p>
<p>A new movement somewhere behind him caught his attention. Looking back the boy was stunned at the view. <br/>The wings of the tiny animal were spread outwards, lifting them both off the ground and over the obstacle but the hare seemed to enjoy flying a bit more than running. He sailed through the air, behind his family, keeping a safe distance between himself and the ground in case he needed to drop suddenly or fly up higher to escape danger. </p>
<p>Eren let his gaze wonder, amazed at the feeling, looking around like a star-struck child. Green eyes big and sparkling, wondering about all the magical things happening. So caught up with his amazement that he didn't notice the figure watching him from another Skvader in the front, nodding slightly at the boy. </p>
<p>Levi was hopeful that this might sparked the interest in Eren to learn more about the forest and it's inhabitants, more about their way of life and maybe even leave his hatred behind for something better. Perhaps fondness or something more.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(I hope I got this as right as I can get)</p>
<p>Huldras: creatures from scandinavian folklore. Beautiful women with a cow or fox tail with long blond hair. Their depiction varies from cruel to kind depending on where you are.</p>
<p>Skvader: a cryptid from Sweden. A hare with the wings, back and tail of a wood grouse.</p>
<p>Wolpetinger: Southern German cryptid being with no concrete description aside from "ultimate tiny franken-mammal". Technically every creature made from two or more different animals from the forest falls under the description but the body tends to come from the smallest mammal.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so this just kinda... happened xD Let me know what you think, I have so much planned for this!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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